This semester has brought a lot of change for me, both personally and professionally. Being the stereotypical introvert, I never thought I would be going abroad by myself for a week or two, let alone six months. As I got older, I thought about spending a semester abroad and then at the beginning of this school year, I learned about a great summer program as well.

This summer I am going to Toulouse France for a four week exchange and then a four week internship somewhere else in the country. This program will allow me to learn about agriculture and food policy in the European Union and in France while giving me hands on experience. I will learn about animal production, food production, food in general and the culture. This experience will allow me live with a family for almost a month and learn their practices and how to communicate with different people about their food.

I am also going with me original plan to spend a semester abroad. This fall I will be going to Dublin Ireland to learn about environmental and agricultural policies. During this trip, I will focus more on the policy and law aspect of my career choice. I plan to go on tours throughout the country and spend a lot of time in Ireland to completely immerse myself in their agricultural industry.

Going abroad will not only benefit you personally, but it will also benefit you professionally. Having the knowledge of how other countries practice agriculture will give you a leg up in job hunting. It will also give you a different perspective on how we do things and our own practices. Studying abroad is something that we should all consider as women pursuing careers in agriculture.

Sigma Alpha

Sigma Alpha, Alpha Omega chapter, is a professional agriculture sorority on the Kansas State University campus. Girls apart of Sigma Alpha have a strong passion for agriculture, and wish to develop skills to help contribute to the industry.

“The objective of this sorority shall be to promote its members in all facets of agriculture and to strengthen the bonds of friendship among them. It is the purpose of the members to strive for achievement in scholarship, leadership, and service, and to further the development of excellence in women pursuing careers in agriculture.”

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